- "Oregon Should Abolish the Death Penalty." Before his recent passing, Hon. Timothy P. Alexander, Senior Judge, expressed his opposition to the death penalty to the Oregon Bar Bulletin.
- The Closure Myth. Aba Gayle, mother of a homicide victim, explains why the notion of "closure" is a fallacy.
- California Vote Shows Shift. The narrow defeat of California's Proposition 34 demonstrates how substantially public opinion has changed in the Golden State and across America.
- Dead Man Walking, the opera, comes to Eugene. The widely acclaimed operatic version of Sr. Helen Prejean's now classic account comes to Eugene in March, 2013. Mark your calendars.
- Death penalty news from Around the Country, Around the World. Stories courtesy of our friends at Death Penalty Information Center.
- Upcoming Events in Oregon.
- Your Financial Support. Our year-end request for the contributions that enable our work.
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Common Questions
Does Oregon currently have the death penalty?
Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Oregon. The first execution under the territorial government was in 1851. Capital punishment was made explicitly legal by statute in 1864, and executions have been carried out exclusively at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem since 1904. The death penalty was outlawed between 1914 and 1920, again between 1964 and 1978, and then again between a 1981 Oregon Supreme Court ruling and a 1984 ballot measure. Since 1904, about 60 individuals have been executed in Oregon. Aggravated murder is the only crime subject to the penalty of death under Oregon law.
Is there anyone currently on death row in Oregon?
Thirty-four people are currently on Oregon's death row.
What is the method of execution in Oregon?
The current method of execution in Oregon is lethal injection.
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